Empower Indigenous Futures

Indigenous Student

An Indigenous woman, wearing a woven headband and a patterned blanket wrapped over her shoulder, participates in a solemn outdoor blanket ceremony.

Tailored support from the start

VCC is a place where Indigenous students are welcomed, prioritized, and supported. Indigenous students receive priority registration, reserved seating for qualified applicants in all programs and courses, and fee payment flexibility.

At VCC, Indigenous students can access:

  • Elders on campus
  • Student ambassadors (cousins)
  • Indigenous advisors
  • Financial aid
  • Work opportunities
  • Gathering spaces

Applicants are encouraged to self-identify their ancestry when applying to VCC.

Vision

To create a safe space where Indigenous learners are empowered with the resources necessary to achieve their education goals and dreams.

Mission

  • Provide holistic supports for Indigenous students to develop a sense of belonging, which encourages personal exploration and success.
  • Collaborate with our local Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, as well as other Indigenous groups to align our programming and services with the needs of individual members and their broader communities.
  • Consult our three local Nations on the protocols and processes for respectfully living, learning and working on their unceded traditional territories.
  • Provide opportunities for learners, employees and the college community to learn about, celebrate and honor Indigenous knowledge, cultures and ways of being.

Values

While guided by many values, the following are the key values that guide our work:

  • Respect
  • Shared responsibility
  • Community
  • Inclusion
  • Equity

Our values

Indigenous learning lives here

VCC strives to be a place where Indigenous learners thrive. Start your journey with VCC today.

Contact us

Current and prospective Indigenous students can contact indigenous@vcc.ca anytime to connect with our Indigenous Services team.

Join the VCC Indigenous Education community on Facebook. You’ll get updates on Indigenous events and learn about student resources, financial aid, and job opportunities.

​Broadway campus

1155 East Broadway
Level 2, building B, room 2232

Downtown campus

250 West Pender Street
Level 1, room 100M

Photo gallery

An Indigenous chef with tattoos and wearing a white chef coat serves food from a brightly colored outdoor feast spread to a person.
A group of students, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are focused on weaving traditional cedar bark hats in an indoor workshop.
A close-up of etched glass art depicting a stylized, symmetrical face in the formline design tradition, likely Coast Salish.

Indigenous Territory Acknowledgment

VCC is located on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, and we acknowledge our privilege to be here.